Can opening and closing implement.



A. E. ZEESE. GAN OPENING AND CLOSING IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

r Q;- 2 dZiaz/eiziiiflx pairs ALEXANDER E. ZEESE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD T0 EMIL W.

KUNZE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI CAN OPENING AND CLOSING IMPLEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 30, 1909. Serial No. 515,185.

Patented Mar. 115, 119141 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. Znnsn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Opening and Closing Implements, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in implements for opening cansor other receptacles, designed to act as a closure for the o ening formed thereby.

The prime ob ect of the invention is to produce an implement which can be used in forming punctures in sealed cans which contain liquids in order that the contents may be drawn therefrom, after which, said implement may be utilized as a closure or stopper for the said punctures, and also a clamp ing device for the closure or stopper so as to hermetically seal the canuntil it is desired to again extract more of its contents.

One of the uses to which my invention is highly applicable is in the opening of condensed milk or cream cans, the contents of the can, however, being immaterial, wherein it has been quite customary for the user to punch two holes, practically diametrically opposite each other in'one of the ends of the can quite close to the periphery thereof, one of the holes being utilized as a vent for the ingress of air, .whichpermits the contents of the can to flow from the other of said openings when the can is properly tilted, as is well understood.

Figure I is a perspective View of a sealed can, together with my improved implement arranged over one end thereof ready to be pressed or driven downwardly to effect a puncture in said can. Fig. II is a vertical section of the upper portion of a sealed can showing my improved implement in position thereon after the implement has punctured the end thereof. Fig. III is an inverted plan view of my improved implement. Fig. IV is a perspective view of a can after the same has been punctured by my improved implement, illustrating the usefulness of the punctures.

In the drawings, A designates a sealed can of ordinary construction consisting of a cylindrical body a and ends a, and B, my

improved implement as an entirety. This implement B consists of a single flat plate or bar 1, preferably made of metal, having downwardly extending flexible or resilient clamping ends 2 formed with out-curved inner parts 2 and in-curved inner parts 2.

3 designates a air of downwardly progecting sharp pointed prongs riveted, or otherwise secured to the plate 1 flush with the upper surface of the latter as shown at 3', the same being arranged near the ends of said plate, and surrounding each neck 3" of said prongs 3, and located at a point adjacent to the plate 1 is a gasket 4:, formed of rubber or other like material.

In the practical use of my invention, when it is designed to open (puncture) a sealed can, the implement is placed over one end in such manner as to cause its central part to be over the center of the said can, and is downwardly projecting ends 2 to extend over the sides of the said can, and then pressure is applied to the implement in the proper direction to cause the rongs to penetrate or puncture the end of said can, the resilient ends 2 holding the implement in clamped position thereto. The implement may now be removed and so much of the contents of the can withdrawn as is desired, in the manner illustrated in Fig. IV of the drawings, after which by re-inserting the prongs in the holes end of the can and pressing the implement firmly in place, the can is again hermetically sealed, due to the yielding gaskets 4. which effectually close all openings which may exist between the prongs and the. mate ial surrounding the punctures, as is obvious.

I claim:

A can opening and closing implement comprising a single flat plate having downwardly extending flexible clamping ends each formed with an out-curved inner part and an iii-curved outer part, a pair of downwardly projecting sharp pointed prongs each having a neck beneath the plate and secured near the end of the plate flush with the upper surface of the plate, and a gasket sur rounding each neck.

ALEXANDER E. ZEESE.

In the presence of IIOWARD G. look,

E. B. LINN.

previously formed in the 

